Enclosure for animals

Abstract

Enclosures for animals, including cages, kennels, and aquariums are provided wherein at least one side wall of the enclosure is lined along at least a portion thereof that is regularly exposed to animal wastes or other contaminants with a protective polymeric film having a layer of adhesive secured to one side thereof, which adhesive secures the film to the side wall. In a preferred from, the polymeric film comprises a fluoropolymer, each side wall has a smooth, solid inner surface to which sheets of the protective film are adhered side by side, and a lower portion of the inner surface of each side wall is covered in a manner that provides continuous coverage from one side wall to an adjacent side wall, i.e. around the periphery of a rectangular enclosure. The protective film makes it easier to clean animal wastes and other contaminants from the enclosure.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 663,120, filed Mar. 18, 2005.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Dias da Silva U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,019, issued Jun. 23, 1998, describes a method of protecting an outdoor structure such as the hull of a marine craft from adhesion of marine growths and inorganic deposits by applying protective flexible covering sheets to the hull. The sheets are preferably applied in a pattern that provides substantially complete coverage of at least the portion of the external surface that is submerged during normal use of the marine craft. The sheets have an outer surface consisting essentially of a polymer such as PTFE that resists adhesion of marine growths and inorganic deposits, and an inner surface comprising a water-resistant adhesive effective to secure the sheets to the outer hull surface and prevent the sheets from coming off during normal use. [0003] Due to the difficulty of providing an ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008] The foregoing method seeks to create a seal between two layers of fluoropolymer film such that seam failure due to the lifting of the upper layer is eliminated. The application of the heated wheel with moderate pressure over a seam consisting of overlapping fluoropolymer film layers causes the two layers to partially or completely melt and fuse.

[0009] The invention further provides a method of reducing the adherence of a waste material to a surface, comprising applying a film sheet to the surface, the film sheet comprising a outer, fluoropolymer film and an adhesive in contact with the film and surface, wherein the surface is part of a structure that is regularly exposed to human or animal wastes or bodily fluids which accumulate on the surface and require removal. Applying self-adhesive fluoropolymer films to such surfaces can substantially reduce the time, energy and effort required to clean the surfaces.

Problems solved by technology

In practice it has been found that this arrangement over time is prone to coming loose, causing the sheets to peel and allowing water to leak in.

Accumulated animal waste on inside surfaces of kennels and cages used to house pets such as dogs, cats, hamsters and birds presents a difficult and time consuming cleaning task.

Similarly, the job of cleaning blood and other fluids from surfaces in an operating room or emergency room of a hospital can be difficult, depending upon the porosity and other physical properties of the underlying material.

Removing mineral deposits, such as calcium and magnesium carbonates, and algae buildup from the inside walls of an aquarium is another time consuming chore, typically requiring scrubbing of the surfaces.

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